This invention relates to devices for dispensing granular feed, such as corn, to deer and other animals, more particularly, to devices that are powered by natural energy sources, rather than man-made sources such as batteries.
The need and desire to feed wildlife has always existed for people who love nature and have an interest in animals. Over the years, this demand has resulted in the invention of many different types of animal feeders, most of which provide a storage container for the food, coupled with a system for dispensing the food to animals over a period of time.
Although many people utilize wildlife feeders for the sole purpose of providing supplemental food to animals during stressful times, the primary use is to attract and hold wildlife, mainly deer, within a certain area for the purposes of hunting, photographing, or just observing. This, of course, must take place during the daytime hours when people can see, making feeders that provide food at night unsuitable to this purpose. Demand-type feeders, that is, those that allow the animals to feed at any time, are notorious for this disadvantage, because most grain-eating animals such as deer, prefer to visit the feeders under the protection of darkness. Another disadvantage of demand-type feeders is that most of them must be placed close to the ground, where undesirable animals cannot be easily excluded. For example, if a hunter desires to feed deer only, using a demand-type feeder can allow hogs and raccoons to raid and empty feeders if within reach. U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,941 to Ayliffe, Jun. 25, 1992, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,509 B1 to Mostyn, Aug. 10, 1999 are examples of demand-type feeders.
The most popular type of wildlife feeder available today seems to be those that are powered and controlled by mechanical devices, such as motors, timers or electronic components. These feeders have several main disadvantages, one being the fact that they are usually very expensive. Another disadvantage is the requirement for ongoing maintenance such as battery replacement or mechanical repairs. Also, some of these feeders are noisy and invasive to natural surroundings when placed in the wild. There have been many inventions of feeders that fall within this category, some typical examples being U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,289 to Gresham, Mar. 26, 1991, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,980 to Rassmussen, Oct. 26, 1994.
There have not been many feeder inventions that utilize only natural energy sources for power. One invention that I am aware of is U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,572 to Nutt, Aug. 2, 1993, which is thermostatically powered by temperature changes. Although this feeder is quiet and unobtrusive, it has two main disadvantages. One being the fact that it has complicated and expensive components. Another disadvantage is that it depends upon unpredictable weather conditions, which can allow it to distribute feed at night.
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my invention are:
(a) to provide a feeder which distributes feed during the daytime hours only;
(b) to provide a feeder that is simple, inexpensive, and low-maintenance;
(c) to provide a feeder that is quiet and unobtrusive to the natural surroundings;
(d) to provide a feeder that prevents undesirable animals from raiding the food supply;
(e) to provide a feeder that is totally powered by a free and reliable source of energy.
Further objects and advantages are to provide a feeder that includes a means for regulating the daily amount of feed distributed, and a simple and reliable mechanism for releasing the feed. Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.
The present invention is a squirrel-powered animal feeder that is suspended alongside a tree or other vertical structure, comprising a feed hopper that opens to the top side of an attached horizontal platform. The platform includes a mechanical device for knocking the grain off the platform to the ground below where it can be consumed by other animals. Hungry squirrels jump from the tree over to the platform in order to get to the visible feed. The resulting forces generated by the momentum of the jump activates the mechanical device.